BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Friday evening at WKU Volleyball's match against James Madison, the Cavanaugh Family presented the first ever Alyssa Cavanaugh Scholarship.
Lily Denton, a manager for WKU Volleyball, was the recipient of the scholarship, given between the second and third sets of the match. Lily, hails from Louisville, KY and as an avid volleyball player herself, she is honored to receive this scholarship in Alyssa's name.
Alyssa's legacy continues to inspire young athletes and the lives she touched with her spirit, determination, and joy. To honor her memory, her friends and family established the Alyssa Cavanaugh Scholarship Fund in September of 2025.
Just as she was preparing to begin a professional volleyball career overseas, Alyssa's life took a sudden turn. In September 2018, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia—a devastating blow just months after her college graduation. She faced her diagnosis with the same grit and grace she had shown on the volleyball court. For almost two and a half years, Alyssa fought courageously, inspiring all who knew her with her strength and resilience. On December 25, 2020, Alyssa Cavanaugh passed away, surrounded by the love of her family. She was just 24 years old.
In June 2021, Conference USA announced that the league's volleyball player of the year award would be renamed the Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year Award, ensuring her name would forever be associated with excellence and heart in collegiate volleyball. Two years later, in July 2023, Alyssa was inducted into the Conference USA Hall of Fame, becoming the first athlete from WKU to receive this prestigious honor. Later on that year, WKU announced the renaming of the annual WKU Volleyball Invitational to the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic.
For more information on the scholarship fund and to find out how to contribute, please visit the Alyssa Cavanaugh Scholarship Fund Page.
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